Now women may want Viagra on the NHS

Viagra could be made available to women on the NHS after the first scientific trial showed it can dramatically increase their enjoyment of lovemaking.

Women who had taken the drug had sex more often and experienced more orgasms.

The findings could revolutionise the lives of the millions of women who admit they suffer from 'sexual frustration'. One in five women says she has lost all pleasure in lovemaking and one in three is worried about the future of her sex life.

A few women have tried Viagra, which was designed to treat sexual problems in men by improving blood flow, since its launch in 1998. But the evidence that it has any effect remained largely anecdotal, and one previous study could find no significant benefit.

The new trial, reported in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, offers compelling evidence that it does work to cure 'sexual dysfunction' - an inability either to attain sexual arousal or to maintain it - in women.

Italian scientists tested its effects on 53 women in their twenties and thirties, all in long-term heterosexual relationships, who had reported difficulties in their sex lives.

They were given either Viagra or a placebo and asked to keep a note of any changes.

The women on Viagra said they had more sexual fantasies, had sex more often and enjoyed it more.

The average frequency of sex increased from once a week to several times a week.

One woman, who found the effects of Viagra so powerful that she took a second lover, had to be removed from the trial, as did another who embarked on a lesbian affair.

Once the trial was finished, more than 70 per cent of the women involved asked to carry on taking the drug.

When Viagra first became available for men, the Government had to limit the categories of patient able to claim the drug on the NHS so that health budgets were not overwhelmed.

Those with medical conditions, or who have undergone surgery which has affected their sexual performance, take priority.

Any move to make the drug commonly available for women would raise questions about how NHS resources are allocated. Experts believe that sexual dysfunction in women is usually a physical problem rather than a psychological one.

Viagra works by increasing the effects of the common body chemical nitric oxide, which is responsible for regulating the flow of blood into the genitals.

An increase in blood flow to the penis makes sexual arousal, intercourse and orgasm easier to achieve. The drug may work to boost the flow of blood to the clitoris in the same way.

The study, carried out by Professor Salvatore Caruso, of the University of Catania on Sicily, makes it more likely that Viagra could be prescribed on the NHS.

However, a spokesman for the Department of Health said the drug was licensed only for use in men at the moment.

Manufacturer Pfizer would have to apply for the licence to be changed before a decision could be made about whether Viagra would be made available to women.

The company was cautious yesterday and said its own preliminary research had not suggested Viagra could benefit women.

A spokesman said: 'To date, Pfizer's female sexual dysfunction studies demonstrate that while Viagra has been well-tolerated it has not shown a significant increase in reported sexual arousal.

'Salvatore Caruso's research is an interesting study that we will review as part of our ongoing research. Other Pfizer studies are ongoing and results should be completed within the next year.'

There is concern in the medical profession that publicity about Viagra and its effects on women might prompt some to borrow the pills from their partners, or try to buy supplies on the Internet.

Since Viagra's launch, there have been reports of 60 men dying from cardiac-related problems after taking the drug and doctors say women should not 'self-medicate' without taking professional advice.